Living Room Study

Ephesians 3

“By reading this you are able to understand my insight about the mystery of the Messiah.  This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now being revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: the Gentiles are co-heirs, members of the same body, and partners of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.  I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of His power.”  Ephesians 3: 3-7

Suppose your neighborhood is hassled by some ethnic gang.  They extort money, terrorizing your family…its really bad.  This gang’s corruption has even infiltrated the government.  There’s nobody to call for help.

Now, suppose this gang’s terror has been going on for several generations.  A prejudice of hatred has grown, among your community, against everyone of this gang’s ethnicity.  Your only hope is that you’ve been taught to believe that God would, someday, send a Deliverer, Who would stop the terror.  Your whole life’s plea to God is enjoined with that of generations past, crying out, “Save us from those people!”

Finally, in His perfect timing, God responded to those prayers.  He sent the promised Deliverer.  You’re thinking, “Now, those people are going to get crushed!”  But, instead of destroying and publicly humiliating all the members of that gang’s ethnic community, your Deliverer has other plans.  He decided to atone for their sins and offer them grace and forgiveness…if they would repent & receive His atonement, by faith.

How would that make you feel?  I bet your answer is close to what many Jews were feeling, when they learned that Messiah came first, to atone for sin and offer salvation to all people, before He returns to judge and punish the world’s sin. 

Jesus identified that the REAL problem in the world was not primarily its different people groups; the problem was how sin had affected those cultures.  He understood that sin had infected BOTH the Jew and Gentile cultures.  Thus, Jesus did not elevate any people group above another, with regards to their need for atonement.  He came to wipe the slate clean for all, so to speak, and give everyone a choice for a new start.  This was so that, by God’s grace and the Spirit’s enabling, all ethnicities could glorify Him, together.

I can relate to how the Jewish leaders felt when Jesus spoke of a “good Samaritan”, and commanded, “Love your neighbor, as yourself.”  I can also identify with the prejudice Paul faced, when he asserted that the mystery of the “prophets” (Old Testament) was:  We all need atonement, and Gentiles get in, too! 

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins